Murder accused, JoziFM DJ, Donald Sebolai, will take the stand tomorrow in the Johannesburg High Court in Palm Ridge, Ekurhuleni where his trial will resume. Sebolai allegedly killed his girlfriend, Rachel “Dolly” Tshabalala, a Wits secretary and part-time student, last June. He allegedly stabbed her to death according to a forensic report, but and pleaded not guilty, DNA samples found on items of clothing after the murder match his.
TRIAL RESUMES: The trial of murder accused Donald Sebolai will resume tomorrow at the Johannesburg High Court in Ekurhuleni. He allegedly stabbed his girlfriend, Rachel ‘Dolly’ Tshabalala, a Wits secretary and student, to death last June. Photo: Facebook.
The trial of murder accused, JoziFM DJ, Donald Sebolai, will resume tomorrow in the Johannesburg High Court in Palm Ridge, Ekurhuleni. Sebolai pleaded not guilty to the murder of his girlfriend, Rachel “Dolly” Tshabalala, a Wits secretary and part-time student, last June.
Media reports said that last Thursday, 30 July, senior forensic analyst, Captain Phineas Masetla testified in the DJ’s murder trial in the Johannesburg High Court. He said that DNA samples found on items of clothing after the murder matched Sebolai and Tshabalala’s.
Nonhlanhla Mkhize, a friend of Tshabalala’s since they were five, also testified. In a previous interview with Mkhize, she told Wits Vuvuzela she received a call from Sebolai confessing to Tshabalala’s murder. Mkhize added that she does not believe Sebolai “will get the sentence he deserves” and that both she and Tshabalala’s family “saw her death coming”.
Media reports indicated that Sebolai also faces charges of theft and defeating the ends of justice after he allegedly stole Tshabalala’s car and tried to hide some of the bloodied clothes.”
The reports added that he initially planned to flee to Botswana after he confessed to Mkhize about the murder. She then reported the matter to the police.
Tshabalala worked in the Wits School of Civil Engineering, and was studying towards a Bachelor of Arts (BA) in psychology at the Wits Plus centre for part-time students.
Professor Ian Jandrell, Dean of the Faculty of Engineering and the Built Environment referred to Tshabalala as “a revered and much-appreciated staff member.”
Sebolai hosted a weekday chat show which focused on gender equality and issues of safety for women and children.
Hundreds of students joined the national #BuildaPresident campaign at Wits University this week. They publicly signed a pledge to good citizenship and shared their views of what an ideal South African president should be.
Hundreds of Witsies gathered below the steps of the Great Hall at Wits University on Tuesday, where they publicly signed a pledge of good citizenship for the #BuildaPresident campaign.
The Drama for Life department hosted the event in honour of Mandela month. Anzio Jacobs, campaign coordinator, said the campaign was created to honour the legacy of former president, Nelson Mandela.
The event displayed a collage of over 600 images of people who showcased their views on what an ideal South African president should be.
Acting SRC president, Shaeera Kalla and Dean of Students, Pamela Dube joined the campaign and also publicly signed the pledge.
The reasons for Jamie Mighti’s resignation has attracted much attention on the Wits University campus this week. In Mighti’s resignation letter to Wits Vice-Chancellor, Professor Adam Habib, he highlighted “irregularities” within the SRC as his reasons for resigning, however there are other reasons which the student body feel may have influenced Mighti’s decision.
Conflict and controversy has surrounded the news of Jamie Mighti’s resignation from the SRC which was made public at the beginning of the week.
Mighti, stepped down as the SRC’s campus wellness officer with immediate effect on July 3 and notified Vice-Chancellor Adam Habib in a letter, which was given to Wits Vuvuzela on Tuesday evening.
In the letter, Mighti said he had lost confidence in the SRC and accused the student council of “several irregularities” including not meeting for several months and mismanaging funds.
Mighti also said he had lost confidence in Vice Chancellor Adam Habib and “his ability and interest in ensuring a functional student body.”
SRC MEANS BUSINESS: Acting SRC president , Shaeera Kalla said they are dealing with the resignation of Jamie Mighti, however students need to be served, so business will carry on as usual. Photo: Riante Naidoo
Shaeera Kalla, acting president of the SRC, told Wits Vuvuzela. “No one knows the true reason behind why Jamie has resigned.” However, Kalla said she believed Mighti was facing disciplinary charges related to an accusation of sexual harassment. Kalla added that neither she nor the SRC was aware of the status of the charge.
“We’re in the dark like everyone else,” Kalla said.
Kalla could not confirm whether Mighti was resigning because of the disciplinary charges “but I think logic would lead to that … If I were in his position I would do that,” she said.
Wits University spokesperson, Shirona Patel, said the university was aware of Mighti’s resignation and confirmed that he was the subject of an investigation but declined to offer further details.
“We can confirm that the University is investigating a matter concerning him but at this stage we are not at liberty to disclose any further details regarding this matter,” Patel said.
Mighti declined to comment to Wits Vuvuzela about his disciplinary hearing.
In his resignation letter, Mighti accused the SRC of failing to meet for several months and said executive SRC members “took decisions which were beyond their constitutional powers”. He also accused the SRC of misusing funds.
“It is my view that the VC was biased in failing to act against Shaeera Kalla and her compatriots within the PYA [Progressive Youth Alliance],” he said in the letter.
Kalla, said she disputes Mighti’s accusations and had a “very fundamental problem” with his claims.
“There was a formal investigation done by [Deputy Vice Chancellor] Prof Tawana Kupe and none of those accusations were true,” she said.
In a report on the investigation that was given to Wits Vuvuzela, the university found that the SRC had not held some meetings nor kept minutes in line with its own constitution. However, it said there was “no evidence of misappropriation or misuse of funds”.
Kalla said Mighti’s resignation was something the SRC has to deal with “but to be honest business goes on as usual as students need to be served”.
She believes the university is “under pressure” because former SRC president, Mcebo Dlamini, was found guilty of a disciplinary charge and “to the outside world it seemed the processes were sped up” for him. “Now there’s another one awaiting his outcome,” she said.
Kalla said the SRC did not tolerate wrongdoing by student leaders: “We condemn any misconduct on behalf of a student leader because the SRC constitution is clear on that and leadership must be held accountable at all times,” she added.
“Our responsibilities are not to Jamie or Mcebo, they are to students,” Kalla said. “I think it’s ridiculous that people think the world must stop because of people like them. There are 31 000 students at Wits, we’ve really got no time for this.”
Jamie Mighti, a member of the Wits SRC has resigned. The reasons for his resignation are currently unknown. Mighti has held leadership positions in the SRC and debating union since 2013.
Rumours have been put to rest as the resignation of Jamie Mighti, Wits SRC’s campus wellness officer, was confirmed earlier today.
“It’s true that Jamie has resigned,” acting SRC president Shaeera Kalla told Wits Vuvuzela.
It is believed his resignation was handed in last week however the reasons are still unclear.
The #BuildaPresident campaign, inspired by former president Nelson Mandela, will kick off at Wits University this Tuesday, July 21. As part of Mandela day, event hosted by Drama for Life, will appeal to staff and students to make a pledge to good citizenship. Event activities a display a 3 000 citizen-driven image collage reflecting what the ideal South African president should be.
The #BuildaPresident campaign, inspired by former president Nelson Mandela, will kick off at Wits University on Tuesday, July 21. The Drama for Life department will host the event and plans to get the staff and Witsies to pledge to good citizenship.
Anzio Jacobs, event coordinator and Drama for Life student, said the pledge was created to honour the legacy of Mandela. Jacobs said he hopes the event will “draw attention to pertinent issues we face as a country”.
#BuildaPresident: 3 000 images, like this one, will cover the wall behind the Wits Art Museum facing Jorissen Street as part of the ongoing campaign aimed at fostering quality future leaders of South Africa. Photo: Evans Mathibe.
Part of the activities will include rebranding the wall at the university entrance on Jorrisson Street behind the Wits Art Museum (WAM). The rebrand will involve a collage of 3 000 images shared by people and showcasing their views on what an ideal South African president should be.
“We will rig a stage for keynote addresses from various stake-holders,” Jacobs said. “These addresses are intended to voice the university’s pledge to being a good citizen.”
Jacobs added that everyone in attendance will be asked to “record their pledge in order to show the overwhelming commitment of Wits University to a better South Africa.”
The event, which will begin at 13:15, will be hosted in collaboration with Wits Functions and Events, campus radio station VoWFM and the SRC (Student Representative Council).
“We trust that this will be the beginning of a great narrative of Wits doing its part in building a better nation for all,” Jacobs said.
The School of Literature, Language and Media is planning to publish a school newsletter at the end of next block, focusing entirely on student-generated creative content. The newsletter calls for submissions in the poetry, short story and intellectual dialogue categories. It will be launched at a school event called Fun Lines, later next block.
A new creative publication is on the cards for the Wits School of Literature, Language and Media (SLLM) and its first issue to be published at the end of next block. The newsletter aims to showcase poetry, short stories and intellectual dialogue pieces from the student body.
SMART THINKER: It was the idea of of 1st year BA student, Mpho Masuku, to start a school newsletter in order to foster intellectual thinking among students in the School of Literature, Language and Media (SLLM). Photo: Riante Naidoo.
The idea came from 21-year-old Mpho Masuku, a 1st year BA student who is also the deputy- secretary of the SLLM student council.
“It was necessary to have a platform like this to express their (students) art and to develop themselves,” he said.
The current student council was on board and agreed the publication would be a platform for students to “groom others as well and groom the art of literature”, according to Masuku.
The newsletter format was chosen as Masuku said it would not be a “taxing process”. He added that they could have had a newspaper, “but we already have Wits Vuvuzela for that,” he said.
“We are going to accept as many publications that come,” he added. However, only submissions from students within the school will be accepted.
“There is a possibility that in the future, we’ll have a publication that encompasses all students, but right now we are constitutionally bound to serve our school,” Masuku added.
There are also three categories which one can submit to: poetry, short stories and intellectual dialogue about university related topics.
So far, Masuku has received six submissions.
He added that the council would like for the newsletter become sustainable. “This should exist beyond this council and beyond next year,” he said.
Unlike any other shopping centre, 27 Boxes, made entirely from shipping containers, opened last week in Melville, Johannesburg. The “mini mall” as some residents call it, has established itself as a space for smaller businesses that specialise in crafts, boutique stores and unique food outlets. The development while supported by some residents, faced resistance from several others.
It is unlike any other shopping centre you have seen. In what used to be a hundred-year-old park, 80 shipping containers now stand three storeys tall. Melville’s latest shopping development, 27 Boxes, right around the corner from the famous 7th Street, opened last week and has established itself as a family-friendly, crafty space.
Developer of the centre, Arthur Blake, is also the managing developer of Citiq, a property management company. He said he decided to use the vacant land to draw people into Melville, a suburb he described as “arty”.
Some residents were very unhappy about the development and raised concerns such as crime, litter and noise, while others were enthusiastic and happy about the increased business in the area.
Wits student Sisanda Msekele, who was attacked on a Wits circuit bus and hospitalised since last Friday night was discharged yesterday morning. She chatted briefly to Wits Vuvuzelaabout her ordeal. Wits University’s Campus Control Director, Robert Kemp, said the SAPS and Campus Control Investigations Section are investigating the matter.
Wits Master’s graduate Sisanda Msekele, who was attacked and hospitalised last Friday night, was discharged yesterday morning after recovering from the severe injuries she sustained in the attack.
STRONGER: Sisanda Msekele and her guide dog Romy on the steps of Great Hall after her graduation at Wits University yesterday. Photo: Samantha Camara.
Msekele, who was discharged from Milpark hospital in Parktown yesterday morning, said she sustained a “severe bite on her upper lip”, had marks on her legs and bite marks on her hand and nipple.
“The girl who attacked me tried to go for my nipple,” Msekele said. “She was going for my nipple,” she reiterated.
Msekele, who is usually accompanied by her protective guide dog, Romy, said she was with a friend when the incident occurred and had left her dog at home. Msekele has declined to reveal the identity of her friend.
Robert Kemp, director of Wits Campus Control said that the incident was reported around 21h30 on Friday night.
“It is believed that the suspect is also a student,” Kemp added.
Kemp said Wits Campus Control officers went to Milpark Hospital, to gather details of the incident from Msekele on Friday night.
“The matter is currently being investigated by the SAPS [at Hillbrow police station] and Campus Control Investigations Section,” Kemp said.
Msekele told Wits Vuvuzela that “the experience has been very overwhelming” and that she needs some time before she can talk about it more openly.
Wits student Sisanda Msekele, who was attacked on a Wits circuit bus on Friday night, spent the weekend in Milpark hospital in Parktown, Johannesburg. Her attacker has not yet been identified, but is reportedly a fellow Wits student.
Sisanda Msekele, a blind Wits Masters student, found herself confined to a hospital bed this weekend after she was attacked by a fellow Wits student.
Msekele said the incident took place on Friday night, on a Wits bus, when she was on her way back to her residence at West Campus Village. She declined to comment further until she has recovered from her injuries.
A series of tweets yesterday from talk show host and Sunday Times columnist, Redi Thlabi, said Msekele’s attacker mocked her “dream of a PhD” which led to an argument, and the subsequent attack.
Thlabi added that Msekele had been searching for a job since the beginning of the year and was due to start tomorrow.
Msekele faced homelessness and financial problems earlier this year. She was fortunate enough to have received financial assistance from the university and the Department of Higher Education and Training (DHET) which allowed her to remain in residence and made it possible for her to register for her PhD.
Msekele has been in Milpark hospital since the attack and could possibly miss her graduation on Tuesday.
Msekele is optimistic that she will be discharged from Milpark hospital tomorrow, depending on the progress of her recovery.
Wits Campus Control was not able to comment on the incident.
Witsies proudly celebrated the success of runner Caroline Wostmann, an accounting lecturer at Wits University, after she won the 90th Comrades Marathon. Wostmann was the first South African to win in the women’s race in sixteen years and had a message of success for her fellow Witsies.
It was not long after she crossed the finish line of the 90th Comrades Marathon as its ladies’ winner that Caroline Wostmann was back at her day job to invigilate exams. Wostmann, a senior accounting lecturer, received personal congratulations from her students at Wits after her momentous victory last week.
“I received a round of applause after their exam today which was very humbling and many came past to personally congratulate me,” Wostmann said.
Wostmann was back to the grind shortly after her win and in between interviews with national and international media, took some time out to give Witsies some sound advice just in time for the exam period.
“We have worked hard as a family and made many sacrifices to achieve this dream”
“Believe in your dreams and work hard to make those dreams a reality,” she said. “Hard work and dedication is the key to success,” she added.
It has been 16 years since a South African woman won the Comrades marathon, and Wostmann, who ran her fifth Comrades this year, finished the race in 6:12:22.
“I am proud to have brought the Comrades victory in the women’s race back to South Africa,” she said.
Wostmann, who also won the Two Oceans in March, said her family dedicated a lot to her achievement.
“We have worked hard as a family and made many sacrifices to achieve this dream I had of winning Comrades and are thrilled that my dream came true,” she said.
CHAMPION: Wostmann carried a rose which symbolised a top 10 position, as she entered The Oval where the Comrades marathon ended last week Sunday. Photo: Riante Naidoo.
In previous interviews with Wostmann, she never anticipated winning, but ONLY hoped to secure a top ten position.
“When I crossed the finish line, I had no idea that second place was so far behind me!” she laughed.
Wostmann’s position earned her a gold medal and cash prize of R 350 000, among several other cash prizes.
She said she has not had a chance to think about what she will do with her winnings yet, and will “only receive my medals after doping tests have been cleared which will probably be around October.”
The Comrades winner added that she will return to KwaZulu-Natal next year to defend her title and may consider competing on an international level.
Wits lecturer, Caroline Wostmann, will be running her fifth Comrades in nine days time. She is hoping to come in the top 10 in the ladies’ division and complete the race in under seven hours. Wostmann enjoys staying at the race the entire day and loves to cheer the last runners in when the final gun goes off.
Wits’ very own Caroline Wostmann, finance and management accounting lecturer, will be running her fifth Comrades marathon in nine days.
Wostmann, who came in 6th position in the race last year despite running with an injury and was the first South African lady home, began training for the race since January.
She is confident about another good race this year. “It feels like the last seven years has built up to this Comrades.”
“There is just something so special about it, and you can’t understand it unless you run it or are along the route supporting,” she said.
Caroline and her brother Christopher Cherry, who will be running his first Comrades this year. Photo: Riante Naidoo.
Wostmann’s “support crew” will also be a little bigger this year.
“My brother is doing the race for the first time,” and she added that her husband, Haiko and daughters, Gabriella (8) and Isabel (4), and her sister-in-law will be along the route supporting them.
Wostmann, who qualified for the Comrades Marathon last December when she ran the Aspen Port Elizabeth Marathon, added that her students are very supportive and proud of her achievements.
As part of her training, she ran several other qualifying races, including the Two Oceans marathon in Cape Town, which she won, back in March.
The main requirement to qualify for the Comrades is to run a marathon (42.2km) in under five hours.
Wostmann explained that for every 20 minutes a runner improves their finish time, they “move up a seeding”.
“Those who start right at the back, complete a marathon in just under five hours,” she said. “It moves down to the A seeding for qualifiers who run a marathon in just under three hours.”
“For a few special select people like me, we get to start right at the front with an elite seeding,” she laughed.
Caroline Wostmann hopes her training will pay off when she takes to the road to run her fifth Comrades next week Sunday. Photo: Riante Naidoo.
Wostmann said after the race, once media interviews and doping-control tests are done she is never in a hurry to leave.
“Something that is really special about Comrades, to me, is that I love to make sure I stay until that final gun goes, so I can cheer those people in,” she said.
“It’s the most horrible, wonderful moment when you watch those people who just make it to the end!”
Her goal position this year is to attain a top 10 spot in the women’s category and complete the run in under seven hours.
“Comrades is such an amazing race and it has such an amazing vibe,” she said. “There is no other single event that unites South Africa like the Comrades does.”
The race will be on Sunday, May 31 and will follow the up-run route (88km) from Durban to Pietermaritzburg.
Peaceful Thulare, a first year drama student, used her theatrical skills and performed to a paying audience on Saturday night in order to raise the balance of her tuition fees. She was denied a bursary to study and on the evening of the show, left in darkness due to load shedding. Surprisingly, she was thankful for the ambiance of the candlelight and the support from her family and friends.
Load-shedding did not deter a first-year drama student from performing last weekend to raise the balance of her tuition fees. Denied a student loan, peaceful Thulare resorted to her childhood love, theatre, to help her pave her way.
As a little fourth grader, she wandered around Michael Mount Waldorf School with a picture version of Shakespeare’s play, A Midsummer Night’s Dream. She decided her class would perform the play, appointed herself director and assigned roles to her classmates. She performed her way through high school and found herself at Wits University eight years later.
Thulare needed to reach her goal of R4 000 after a very rocky start at Wits.
She applied to Wits, the University of Johannesburg (UJ) and the University of Cape Town (UCT), however due to financial constraints decided it would be best to remain closer to home.
Financial woes
Thulare applied for NFSAS funding and by January was told she was unsuccessful.
“I just tried to contact every person who could possibly help me,” she said.
Thulare was raised by her mom, a domestic who worked for Gwyn Dawson, who Thulare described as her “other mom”.
After Dawson moved to Cape Town in 2007, Thulare moved in with Tasha and Paul Tollman whom she described as “foster parents”.
Peaceful Thulare, 1st year drama student, in character during Foursight, the play she performed last weekend to raise the balance of her tuition fees. Photo: Riante Naidoo
Financial hope arrives
Thulare’s mother managed to raise her registration fees from various family members and some of her own savings.
“My mom would do anything to get me into varsity,” Thulare said.
“Paul enjoyed listening to Hot 91.9,” Thulare said, “During that period they had a programme called Wings of Change and Tasha said we should email them with my story.”
After several months the radio station contacted Thulare to find out more about her story and sponsored her tuition with more than R 22 000.
With additional aid from two more family friends, Thulare required R4 000 more to reach her total.
“Tasha suggested the idea of a show to raise money” and Thulare said using her skills to raise the funds seemed like a “viable option”.
Despite load shedding, which left Thulare in candlelight on stage, about 40 people attended which helped her reach her R 4 000 target.
“Everyone was so generous,” she said, “people who didn’t even attend offered to donate money.”
“The candlelight added ambiance and I couldn’t have thought of a better way to have performed the show,” she said.
Since her announcement as the Democratic Alliance’s mayoral candidate for Johannesburg, Helen Zille has dominated national headlines. In this bonus episode of We Should Be Writing podcast, hosts Lulah Mapiye and Bonolo Mokonoto dissect a media meet-and-greet with the mayoral hopeful. From her extensive political résumé to her controversial public utterance, we examine why the Democratic Alliance has chosen Hellen Zille as their candidate for the 2027 local mayoral elections. Additionally, […]
